The Winnipeg Jets are down 2-1 in the Western Conference final to the Vegas Golden Knights heading into Friday’s pivotal Game 4 at T-Mobile Arena and this is the type of moment goalies dream about, having the opportunity to shine when the spotlight is brightest.

It’s not like Hellebuyck is playing poorly in the series, but Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has the upper hand through three games in every statistical category.

Fleury finished with 33 saves in Wednesday’s 4-2 victory over the Jets and produced several highlight-reel moments, including his sprawling stop on Mark Scheifele in the third period that preserved a one-goal cushion.

Hellebuyck made the highlight-reel as well, but for the wrong reason as he turned the puck over behind his net to Erik Haula, leading to James Neal’s goal – which was the eventual game-winner.

As has been the case after several losses during the playoffs, Hellebuyck took umbrage to a question from a reporter about the puck-handling miscue.

There was also some general annoyance when asked about the head-to-head battle with Fleury, the three-time Stanley Cup champion.

“No I don’t want to respond to his game,” said Hellebuyck. “He’s obviously a big part of that team and playing very well. But I like my game, I like it a lot more. I like my details and will continue chugging away and getting better every single day.”

Hellebuyck is a highly-competitive individual and that’s a big part of the reason he put last season’s disappointment behind him and worked his way into becoming a Vezina candidate.

“Connor is someone who has checked off all the boxes on the way up in his development program,” said Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. “I remember talking to some of our local media and they said that all that’s missing is maybe it takes a hundred games for a goaltender to see if he’s going to be a No. 1 or No. 2, but how do you get those hundred games? How do you get those opportunities? You have to be able to get the crease. He did and he learned some things along the way.

“The credit goes back to the player, back to the work they do once they begin to understand themselves. About what it’s going to take for them to excel at their particular position. Very fortunate to have a player like Connor that figured that our himself and did the work to get him to that point.”

During training camp and even at the start of the season, when Hellebuyck was in a backup role behind Steve Mason, he said all the right things about working hard to be ready when called upon.

Hellebuyck backed up his words with action, wrestling the No. 1 job back and bringing the type of stability to the position the Jets have been searching for in the seven seasons since the franchise relocated from Atlanta.

“He’s got an extremely high belief in his ability, a good confidence with his game,” said Jets centre Adam Lowry. “He’s real poised in the net. You look at the way (Montreal Canadiens goalie) Carey Price moves around the net – I see a lot of similarities in the way he moves throughout the crease. He’s done a real good job of bouncing back after games where he hasn’t been thrilled with his effort.

“He’s been the backbone of our team all year. We’ve benefited from having such strong goaltending at different times throughout the year, and he’s nominated for the Vezina for a reason.”

Jets head coach Paul Maurice appreciates the fact Hellebuyck is always pushing himself to get better.

“I don’t plan to stomp that mentality. He believes he can stop every one, and then he moves on pretty darned well. He doesn’t carry it too heavy with him,” said Maurice. “It’s going to be really interesting to watch him develop. I don’t think you can expect that his progress, from last year to this year, if he got that much better next year 43 shutouts might be in is wheelhouse.

“He’s got confidence in the right way. Even though he thought he had the Vezina wrapped up, I think he’s got a pretty good handle on his game.”

Hellebuyck’s high level of performance continued in the playoffs, as he outplayed Devan Dubnyk of the Minnesota Wild and Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators on the road to the third round.

But if the Jets are going to beat the Golden Knights, he’ll have to at least match the level Fleury is playing at and that likely means stealing a game or two before this series is over.

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